"the duty and interest of the United States require, that they should with sincerity and good faith adopt and pursue a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerent Powers"
Those were the words of George Washington's proclamation of Neutrality during the wars of the French Revolution. Ten years later, Thomas Jefferson renewed this neutrality principle to congress with these words , "to cultivate the friendship of the belligerent nations by every act of justice and of innocent kindness". Jefferson pushed for continued neutrality and spoke out against those who would jump at the earliest opportunity enter into the Napoleonic wars for want of some prize or spoils.
But what price the United States pay for trying to remain neutral? In Thomas Jefferson's 1804 state of the union address he answered:
"With the nations of Europe in general our friendship and intercourse are undisturbed, and from the Governments of the belligerent powers especially we continue to receive those friendly manifestations which are justly due to an honest neutrality and to such good offices consistent with that as we have opportunities of rendering."While Britain and France were at war almost constantly carving up the world like plum pudding , America was busy supplying the flour suet, raisins, currants and spices to make it. American neutrality allowed the United States to experience a period of rapid growth in foreign trade. With the restrictions of the old mercantilism system destroyed, American merchant ships enjoyed open trade with all countries including both Britain and France. American shops carried commodities and European manufactured goods all over the world. In just 15 years, from 1792 to 1807. American shippers earnings rose 600% from $7.2 million in 1792 to $42 million in 1807. During these same 15 years, American exports rose 500%. American cotton was in high demand to supply the British textile industry, and American food was needed to meet European shortages. While Europe was engaged in war, the United States was benefiting from "honest neutrality".
In 1807, the policy of Neutrality would be greatly tested as both Britain and France imposed trade restrictions on each others' economies disrupting American trade. Further complicating things were the harassment of American ships and the impressment of American men leading to the Embargo of 1807.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29446
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406400615.html
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